Hollywood plans to keep taxes, fire fee at current level

HOLLYWOOD — The city intends to hold steady and move forward with a balanced budget without raising property tax rates or fire fees.

At a Wednesday evening budget hearing, city commissioners tentatively approved a balanced proposed general fund of $176.4 million for next year.

They also voted to tentatively keep the city's fire fee at $189.

The proposed tax rate will also remain the same at $7.45 for each $1,000 of taxable value.

That means the owner of a $200,000 home receiving a $50,000 homestead exemption would pay $1,740 in city taxes.

It's an enormous change from last year, when the city used a painful combination of employee pay cuts, layoffs, pension cutbacks and a combined 11 percent hike in property taxes and fire fees to close a $38.5 million budget gap.

The budget will be finalized at a Sept. 20 public hearing at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.